Ageel Mohammed A
Department of Surgery, Jazan University, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Jul 28;16(7):e65599. doi: 10.7759/cureus.65599. eCollection 2024 Jul.
Endotracheal intubation, a procedure performed using an endotracheal tube (ETT), has been identified as one of the most viable and common methods of managing the airway and artificially supporting respiration. Patient consciousness is an essential factor that is directly linked to airway safety, and an acute drop in the level of consciousness might threaten the airway. A Glasgow Coma Scale score of less than 9/15 is an indication of the need to protect the airway by conducting the commonly known procedure of endotracheal intubation. In the current case report, we found an unusual cause of leakage in the ventilator tube that affected the tube integrity: the involuntary tube biting of a patient admitted to the intensive care unit due to low consciousness provoked by an ischemic stroke. This constitutes an interesting phenomenon that must be investigated further. Aside from deciphering the underlying subconscious event, mitigatory mechanisms should be deployed along with ETT to prevent the ventilator circuit from failing.
气管插管是一种使用气管内导管（ETT）进行的操作，已被确认为管理气道和人工支持呼吸最可行且常见的方法之一。患者意识是与气道安全直接相关的关键因素，意识水平的急性下降可能会威胁气道。格拉斯哥昏迷量表评分低于9/15表明需要通过实施众所周知的气管插管程序来保护气道。在本病例报告中，我们发现了影响气管完整性的呼吸机管道泄漏的异常原因：一名因缺血性中风导致意识低下而入住重症监护病房的患者不自觉地咬管。这构成了一个有趣的现象，必须进一步研究。除了解开潜在的潜意识事件外，还应与气管内导管一起部署缓解机制，以防止呼吸机回路出现故障。
